In Wellington, New Zealand, it’s not an everyday event when a family arrives home and finds a seal curled up on their front porch. These adorable little creatures, Kekenos, are known as New Zealand’s most common seals, and their population is growing.
This particular little pup had been fast asleep on the porch and just got tired. It seems he had climbed up the seawall stairs, crossed the road, hiked up a footpath, a driveway and finally up another set of stairs before needing a serious nap.
According to the New Zealand Department of Conservation, one just never knows where these adventurous little creatures might show up.
A Kapiti-Wellington standby officer arrived and was able to capture and relocate the little guy to the coastal area in a safe place away from dogs and traffic.
From May through September, young seals (and males of all ages) leave their colonies, making it a prime time to see them out and about. They might look skinny or sick, with weepy eyes and a cough, but this is normal; seals are very resilient animals. People are urged to leave the animals alone; they are not in need of rescuing – they just need to rest.
If you see a seal that is injured, in noticeably poor condition, tangled in fishing line, in danger from cars, dogs or humans, or on your property, please call the department on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).
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